Alone
by BlurrryReflections
Summary: Ryoma blows off Kyoko to hang out with Sakuno. Kyoko learns that she can't always have Ryoma for herself, and that it's okay to be alone sometimes.


Sorry guys, I don't think I can finish my PoT fanfic, _A Can of Ponta_. I just don't have the motivation anymore, but I decided to upload this chapter I wrote awhile ago and make it a one-shot. This can be read alone - it just uses my OC. The writing's not that great - I just wanted to get it all down, but I don't really want to edit it much now. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Just _go home_, Aizawa." With that, he grabbed Sakuno's shoulder and led her away.

Kyoko stood there, numb. Seconds, minutes, she didn't know how much time passed until finally Momoshiro snapped her out of her daze.

"Kyo-chan! Kyo-chan! Oi, Kyoko-chan!"

Seconds after her eyes refocused, her vision began to blur. Something sparkly flew from her face as she whipped around and ran.

She kept on running, running, and running. Away from the school she ran, up the street she ran, through the temple she ran, up the stairs she ran, into her room she ran, she ran until she reached the corner of her room where one lone stuffed animal sat.

Squeezing the plushie to herself, she put her back against the wall and slid down until she was hugging her knees. She eyed the animal and choked out a bitter laugh at the event that happened only a few weeks ago.

**Flashback**

"_I can't believe you're actually going to keep that thing." He stared at the giant stuffed animal that was half his height like it was going to come alive._

"_Of course I'm going to keep it! I wouldn't have wasted time playing that game if I was just going to end up throwing this cutie away." Kyoko giggled and gave the animal a squeeze. "Relax, Ryo!"_

"_Are you kidding? What kind of creature is this anyway? It's _purple,_ has four… limbs… horns _and _ears, a tail, and creepy humongous eyes! There's no way you're calling this a teddy bear. You can't even name this kind of thing."_

_Kyoko shrugged. "Does it matter? Quirky is cute. And I wasn't planning on naming it. It's just one of those things you can't give a specific for. There is no gender, there is no personality, there is no name, there is no specialty. The lines of everything are blurred. Aaannnddd,his home shall be right here!" she said, plopping the stuffed animal into the empty corner. She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, looking proud of her handiwork. _

_Ryoma looked at her with some sort of expression she couldn't read. Surprise? Awe, admiration? Sorrow? Pride, happiness? Not long after, though, his usual mask covered up any emotion._

_He backed up to look, too. "You're just leaving it in the corner?" he asked incredulously._

"_It looks lonely in the empty space, but doesn't it somehow look like it belongs there? It won't always be lonely—someone will always come back to visit it." She spoke wistfully, smiling softly. _

"…_Yeah, you're right. It's not a bad thing to be alone, sometimes." _

**End of flashback**

Endless tears flowed down her cheeks for hours. They weren't sobs that made her hiccup, cry, and sniff; they were silent, sliding down her face and crashing below. But Kyoko wouldn't fall asleep; she was wide awake. The flashback of her giving some cheesy speech about loneliness kept replaying in her mind—she had no idea why she had said some of those things. But she remembered she had felt _good_ after saying all of those things, and Ryoma had been unusually understanding.

_It won't always be lonely—someone will always come back to visit._

_It's not a bad thing to be alone, sometimes._

Kyoko wobbled as she stood up, but she took a breath and steadied herself. She walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, only to cringe and to immediately set to washing her face. After brushing her teeth, running a brush through her hair, changing out of her tear-stained uniform, and making sure her eyes weren't red, she followed the scent of Ryoma's mother's cooking downstairs and into the kitchen.

Echizen Najiroh sat at the table, looking like he was reading the newspaper, but probably looking at some perverted magazine. Echizen Rinko bustled around the kitchen.

"Ah, Kyoko-chan! You're just in time for dinner. Take a seat, take a seat."

"Tadaima," a voice called.

"Okaeri!" Kyoko and Rinko voiced in unison. "Ryoma! You're late. Come and eat dinner," his mother scolded.

He poked his head into the doorway, but Kyoko didn't dare look at him. "I already ate," he stated before disappearing into his room.

Rinko sighed. "That boy is hardly home anymore. Always eating out," she mumbled.

Kyoko grinned. "Don't worry oba-san, I'll never pass up a chance to eat your cooking! Itadakimasu!"

Rinko teared up. "At least there's one good child in this house now."

"Keep an eye on him for me, Kyoko-chan!" Nanjiroh winked.

"Of course!" Kyoko saluted and giggled. But inside she frowned. _Of course…_

* * *

Ryoma found Kyoko off to the side standing still and hitting the tennis ball in the same spot on the wall over and over.

"Kyo! Catch!" he yelled, tossing the Ponta into the air. It landed perfectly on Kyoko's racket.

"_Idiot!_ Took you long enough." _Kachik._ She opened the can chugged it down.

Ryoma rolled his eyes. "Come on," he threw a tennis ball at her, "let's play." They talked as if nothing had happened over the last few days.

"Baka," she sighed. "You're so lucky I forgive people with Ponta."


End file.
